U.S. Secretary of Education Rod Paige today announced that all 50 states, the District of Columbia and Puerto Rico, have submitted their state educational accountability plans for review on time, under the No Child Left Behind Act of 2001.

The plans, which detail how and under what timeline states plan to achieve full proficiency toward state academic content standards, were due to the U.S. Department of Education (ED) January 31, 2003. The plans also must address how states intend to close persistent achievement gaps between disadvantaged children and their more advantaged peers.

"This is a seminal moment as we move forward in our journey, as a nation, to leave no child behind," Paige said. "Never before has our entire nation come together to work toward the single goal of educating every child. I applaud the unprecedented cooperation and can-do spirit that state education chiefs, governors and state boards of education have demonstrated in developing these plans, and I look forward to working with them to make those plans a reality. Our work will not be complete until every child in America receives a quality education.

"Every state has met this key deadline to outline their plans to educate every child, and I am now confident that state education leaders and governor will not rest until no child is left behind. Accountability is the cornerstone of our new education law and our state leaders understand that. They aren't standing around wringing their hands. They are working hand in hand with the department to adopt accountability plans that will help every girl and boy succeed. I look forward to continuing the partnership we've built with the states over the past year to achieve these bold and important goals."

On January 8, during a White House ceremony to mark the one-year anniversary of the passage of the landmark education reform law, President Bush announced that five states had already received approval for their plans. The states--Colorado, Indiana, Ohio, Massachusetts and New York--volunteered for the early review of their plans and submitted them well in advance of the January 31 deadline.

To assist states in honing their plans and meshing existing state accountability plans with the new requirements under NCLB, most states have met with key senior ED leadership, including Under Secretary of Education Eugene Hickok, to discuss development of their state plans. States received a workbook to help simplify and guide the process of preparing and submitting their plans. A letter to chief state school officers that details the application process and required elements, as well as the workbook itself, are all available at http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/CFP/.  In a July 24, 2002, letter to states, Secretary Paige detailed the ten key accountability principles as well as flexibility available to states. (http://www.ed.gov/News/Letters/020724.html).  

The next steps include review of the applications, technical assistance and a peer review of the state plan. The non-federal peer reviewers include state policymakers, national education reform experts, statisticians, and others who are familiar with educational standards, assessments, accountability, the needs of under-performing schools and other educational needs of students.

The five approved state plans are available on the U.S. Department of Education's web site at: http://www.ed.gov/offices/OESE/CFP/csas/index.html.